


First Impressions

by quilleth



Series: Double Trouble [1]
Category: Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Gossip, Siblings, exasperated butler Jasper now has to deal with two disaster delegates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:12:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quilleth/pseuds/quilleth
Summary: Elisabeth and Noah discuss their first impressions of their fellow delegates, and some pillows are treated most discourteously





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> This was sort of a spin off of the "Past" Prompt for 7kpp Week 2017 and several conversations with my friends on tumblr and discord (you know who you are). It may be helpful to read that chapter before reading this work so that you're familiar with Noah, but it's not necessary. While I've been calling this an AU on tumblr, it has pretty much taken over as canon for Elisabeth now instead, making any previous works with her and Hamin the AU version of her story now. But hey, what are friends for if not encouraging you to *not* in fact kill your darlings, but create an entire AU just to keep them alive?

Elisabeth looked up from brushing her hair as Noah entered her room, grinning. "Shouldn’t you be getting ready for bed?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Probably, but I’m too awake to sleep and my butler’s nowhere near to scold me, so it was either come pester you, or I don’t know, spend an hour jumping on my bed to burn off energy,” he said with a shrug. “Here, let me do that,” he added, plopping down on Elisabeth’s bed behind her and beginning to braid her hair.

She laughed. "And what makes you think that I’m not tired? Or that my butler won’t scold you? He seems rather formidable; I’m sure he’d be up to the task."

"Bah, Lissy! You must be thinking about the evening at least as much as I am! And I’m your brother. I should be allowed in your room!” When Elisabeth simply giggled and made an exasperated noise in reply, he asked gleefully, “Soo…..what do you think?!”

"Well, the food is certainly quite nice… Ouch, hey!" she responded, yelping when he tugged on her hair.

"I meant about the people!”

"Well I’m not sure, really. We just met them. It’s a little soon to say just what I think about them. And the food was lovely! Did you see that trifle?!"

"Focus, Lissy, the people. Did you like any of them?”

"Well, yes, I suppose most of the people I spoke to seemed nice enough."

"Nice? That’s it? What about… what about Duke Lyon?” Noah asked.

"Duke Lyon?!" Elisabeth said, turning. "What on earth makes you ask that?”

"Hold still!“ he replied, turning her back around. "And you seemed to get along well. You certainly managed to engage him in a prolonged conversation, which I’m led to believe doesn’t happen often,” he added with a grin.

Elisabeth snorted. "I hardly think having an intellectual conversation with someone is grounds to assume I like them. I told you; it’s far too soon to know what I think of anyone!"

"Not even that red-headed Revaire fellow? I saw you get flustered talking to him!”

"Lord Clarmont? I was upset because I said rather more than I meant to!"

"Ah well, no surprise there I guess.”

"Hey! And what about you then? You keep asking me about the people I spoke to, and you’ve not said what you thought at all! Or have you gone and charmed half the people here already and are simply trying to decide who to bring home first?"

"It’s not my fault if people fall in love with me. It’s part of my natural charm,” Noah replied smugly, with an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes, well said charm does not work on sisters, now spill! What did you think? You clearly have opinions on at least some people or you wouldn’t be so insistent on discussing it right this very moment."

"Well, there are certainly some very interesting people here,” he hedged.

"And do you like any of them, oh romantically minded brother of mine?" Elisabeth replied, a slight edge of irritation creeping into her voice.

"You make it sound like I fall in love with people left and right!” Noah pouted, taking up the braid he’d abandoned halfway through. "It’s not like that at all you know."

Elisabeth beamed triumphantly. "I do know, which is how I know you must have particular regard for someone you spoke to, thief of hearts you are!”

"Fine, yes, there were a few people who stood out more than others,“ he replied evasively, grinning when Elisabeth growled in frustration.

"Like who? Do stop teasing me! There was an Arlish lady who seemed particularly please to be speaking with you,” Elisabeth said, starting to turn around again.

Noah stopped her and laughed slightly. “There were a couple of Arlish ladies I spoke to, so I don’t know which you’re talking about, although they were quite polite.”

"Can’t you give me a hint?"

Deciding to take pity on her, he said, "Well, I have always wondered what it’s like to be a pirate…”

"Oooh! Princess Cor- no. Prince Hamin?!"

Noah made a non committal noise. "You do like him, don’t you!” Elisabeth said, turning around completely, whipping the nearly finished braid out of Noah’s hands and using her momentum to bounce onto her knees.

"Ow, careful Lissy!" he whined rubbing his cheek where Elisabeth’s braid had hit him. "If I’d know you were going to use violence to get answers I’d have sat over there!” he added, indicating the writing desk in the corner. When she glowered at him and crossed her arms expectantly, he laughed. “Alright, alright, you win! I might have rather enjoyed his company, yes.”

"Hah! I knew it!“ Elisabeth exclaimed. She tilted her head and surveyed her brother critically.

After a few moments under her scrutiny, Noah began fretting, "What? What is it? Do you think I shouldn’t-“

Elisabeth stopped his babbling by covering his mouth with her hand. "Shush,” she said, “I’m trying to picture you in pirate’s clothes!”

He relaxed and grinned at her. "Oh really? And?" He struck an exaggerated pose, making Elisabeth giggle.

"Well, it would certainly suit your ridiculous facial hair better than scholar’s robes,” she said, shaking her head.

Noah seized a pillow and boffed her over the head with it. “That was not very nice! Aren’t little sisters supposed to be sweet and adoring?”

Elisabeth squealed, using another pillow as a shield. “Only when we’re very small! When we’re adults we’re supposed to judge your life choices!” she said, ducking another blow from the pillow.

They froze when a knock sounded at the door. “Um, come in?” Elisabeth answered hesitantly, pillow still held defensively in her hands.

"Is everything alright, Lady Elisabeth? I thought I heard voices when I was passing," Jasper asked from the doorway, raising an eyebrow slightly at the siblings, who were by most accounts, far too old to be having pillow fights.

"Oh! Yes, Jasper, everything is fine!” Elisabeth said, hugging the pillow in her hands with a sheepish smile. “This is my brother Noah, which I suppose you probably already knew. Noah, this is Jasper.”

"Ah, your formidable butler?" Noah replied with a cheeky grin, earning a sharp jab in the ribs before he added, "Nice to meet you.”

Jasper bowed, “A pleasure, I’m sure Lord Noah.” He turned to Elisabeth and said, “May I suggest retiring for the night? Your meeting with the Matchmaker is quite early, and I am certain you will want to be well rested.”

Elisabeth sighed and slouched down. "You’re quite right, of course. Thank you Jasper." He simply bowed and retreated in response. She turned to her brother. "You heard him; we both ought to be in bed by now! Besides, you’ve got my opinion now, anything else will have to wait.” She fidgeted with the pillowcase. "I hope I don’t completely embarrass myself."

Noah scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You won’t! We prepared for this, remember?”

"You prepared. I helped, and then sat around for several years after the tests forgetting it all. And then, for some reason, they thought I would be a good replacement for Jiya. I can’t do this! I have no idea what I’m doing here! They may as well send me home now and save themselves the trouble." She buried her face in the pillow she was clutching.

"Hey, hey! What happened to my reckless, confident baby sister in the years I’ve been away? This isn’t like you!”

Elisabeth sighed and raised her head slightly to mumble, “She grew up and realised she was doomed to have a boring life as the second sister, staying home and never doing anything interesting.”

Noah made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “Elisabeth, you know that’s not true.”

"Oh? Well it’s all I’ve been doing my adult life, so I fail to see how it’s false either."

"Mother and Father didn’t think you were interested in diplomacy or political things. That’s why they didn’t push you to participate in any of it.”

"I’m not! Not really. But it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to…to… experience things outside of the estate. And I feel like a fraud here. I am nowhere near as prepared as someone like Jiya would be. And what happened with Jiya anyway? That’s not like her to run off like that! Not when she was looking so forward to coming," Elisabeth replied, pulling threads off the tassel on the pillow until it came untied.

"And now you are! Look at me, Lissy,” Noah said, waiting until she raised her gaze to meet his to continue. "You’re here now. The how isn’t important! Take this chance and just be the witty, charming person you are, meet new people and experience new things. And if it’s not for you, then that’s fine, but you can’t judge how you will do until you try, ok?"

Elisabeth nodded. "Yeah…yeah, you’re right!”

"Of course I am!" 

She jabbed him in the ribs again, "Alright, get out you, before Jasper comes back, and I have to have him drag you off to bed and tell your butler to lock you in!”

Noah looked at her in mock offense, “As if I haven’t figured out how to pick a lock by now!” He gave her a hug. "Good night, Lissy, and good luck tomorrow! You’ll tell me how it goes?“

"Of course I will. Good night Noah,” she added, kissing him on the cheek before shoving him towards the door. With a grin she said, “Good luck with your pirate,” giggling when her brother flushed scarlet before he stuck his tongue out at her and shut the door behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes the title is a nod to Jane Austen's original title for Pride and Prejudice. I cannot seem to get over the idea of Regency/ Early Victorian Era mannerisms and etiquette, etc with 7kpp, especially for Elisabeth and Noah (affectionately called the nerd siblings), so it seemed fitting


End file.
